


Partners in Crime (and maybe more)

by Phanseyelash123



Category: Original characters - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt and comfort, Lesbian, Love Story, One Shot, Police, Sad, Useless Lesbians, oc x oc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-04-03 17:08:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21483988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phanseyelash123/pseuds/Phanseyelash123
Summary: Ruby had a mark of the first words her soulmate would say to her on her wrist.“Fuck you.”Her life gets turned upside down when a new coworker says those exact words to her, and they’re forced to work together.-OR-Dumb lesbians being dumb dumb.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Partners in Crime (and maybe more)

**Author's Note:**

> for anyone who isn’t Lucy reading this,,,
> 
> uhhh this is a birthday present.   
to Lucy: I love your dumb ass. you’re the best ;))) u make me very happy and I hope we can be friends for forever <333 hope u like it!!!!💗

'Fuck you'. 

The mark of a soulmate written upon one's wrist, cursive writing, black. It was supposed to be romantic, yet Ruby's pale arm only displayed the profanity. Waking up on her sixteenth birthday, tiredly rubbing her eyes, only the find the words had been permanently tattooed on her wrist was an experience. 

She had stared at it for a good minute before murmuring a quiet, "what the fuck?"

Yes, again, it was supposed to be romantic. Most people had 'hello' and 'hi's, some 'sorry' or 'my name is...' If you were unlucky, you may have some sort of order up your wrist. Her mother did. She had worked on a hotdog stool stand when her father came up. She remembered off by heart. Can I have a hotdog with onions over it, ketchup too. Thanks. That relationship didn’t end very well... So how could she knew her one would, too? 

Only in movies were they cute. 

'You're so beautiful'

'Woah. You're pretty'

‘Hey, handsome.’

Yeah. You got the point. 

The young adult peered up when she heard patters of bare feet against the floor, and smiled upon seeing her fiancé, Kyle. He kissed her forehead before asking what she was reading, and she replied with 'the newspaper.'

They had a short chat before going to work, singing awfully to Queen, over exaggerating their features. They didn't take very long before they entered the precinct. Kyle and Ruby split, and Ruby's hand was wrapped around a hot beverage. 

She was met with her best friend, Krasi, another detective, who as usual looked as if he had never slept in his life. He greeted her, waving dismissively, and she only grinned and sat at her desk. 

Today was going to feel like a good day. She could feel it. 

She pushed her brown hair from her face- an sigh leaving- and tied it up in a low, loose pony tail. When Ruby noticed something... unfamiliar. The door. The door the Charlie’s office. It was open. 

Charlie had become Captain a year ago, and she had joined five years ago- at eighteen. Luckily, they knew each other previously, so if she ever fucked up on a case he would look at her with tired, but kind eyes and give her it off, and she would redeem him by grabbing his favourite food and some tea- and of course, making up for the problem. 

His door was not supposed to stay open. 

Curious, Ruby attempted to make eye contact with Krasi, but the dark haired man seemed too focussed on whatever he was working on to notice his short friend, so she took it upon herself to find out. 

Making a duck face, she wondered over, spring in her step (gaining a few sighs and looks from her coworkers) and peered in. She saw someone sitting opposite the Captain, who- as usual- was smiling friendly. 

Then, Ruby’s smile faded. 

Who was that? 

She had bought tea for Charlie too.

She looked back up the cup she left at her desk, pouting childishly, and went back to Krasi. 

“Hey, Krasi.”

“Hey.”

“So... there’s a person in Charlie’s office.”

“Yeah, he’s the captain, surprisingly, that’s what happens.” He replied sarcastically, earning a dirty look from Ruby and a playful shove to the shoulder. 

“No; no. They don’t look like your normal ‘let’s talk about Captain matters blah blah blah’ person...”

Krasi stared at her as if she was strange, like a ugly looking animal you weren’t familiar with at the zoo and you were trying to put your finger on it. “Oh.” He said, finally getting it. 

“Oh...” He said again, and hummed, clicking something on his computer, sending an email to someone. 

“She’s new. A detective, I think.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal and looked at Ruby’s desk. “Ooh, is that tea for me?”

“No, and you know it isn’t, you dick.” He laughed. A loud sound, though genuine and soft. “It’s for Charlie... but d’ya know anything about the new person?”

She fiddled with her long sleeved shirt which covered her wrist for politeness reasons. It was common knowledge showing your wrist- the one with the writing- was rude and looked down upon, as traditionally it was meant for friends, loved ones and your soulmate, and no more. Everyone in the room was covering theirs with either bracelets or shirts. 

“I know she’s a girl. And gives off ‘wannabe Chad’ vibes. Probably the fuck boy hair. And judging by the eye bags, self esteem problems.”

“Well, by that logic you have self esteem problems.”

“One, fuck you. And two, yes.”

“And also, you’re a Chad, so shut it.”

They giggled for a while about unrelated things, and Krasi looked over her shoulder and raised a brow. 

“Yeah. Full on Chad.” He said to himself, and Ruby, confused, turned around too quickly and stumbled forward into something. No. Someone. 

She pulled back immediately, face a little red, and the person was taller than her. Holding her shoulders so they wouldn’t fall. 

She had curly hair, shaved at the sides, dark brown eyes much like her own. She looked tired. But angled- very muscled. Cheek bones impressive, along with her whole build, and vibe. She had a strong jaw line, and Ruby felt her mouth go dry at the sight. She was still thin- even with the toned body. The girl looked unimpressed with being stumbled into, and her mouth opened. 

“Fuck you.”

Ruby frowned, “yeah, fuck me.”

A pause. 

A long pause. 

A pause that never seemed to end and it extended until you couldn’t see it. Infinite, bending, limitless, boundless, cosmic. 

The silence was sickening. 

The pause came back from being infinite, from being never-ending, and this time you could see the curve of the silence because really, it wasn’t a long time, and Ruby was just imagining because she hated silence. It was a short beat of dread. Realisation. Panic. 

“Holy shit.” The girl said, quiet, eyes wide, and she pulled up her (cool) leather jacket. 

Ruby did the same for her shirt. 

‘Fuck you.’

And on the other girl’s, ‘yeah, fuck me.’

“Oh.” Ruby said through a nervous laugh. “I’m fucked.”

“Well... I’m Lucy.” Her hands fell to her sides, and she smiled. Perfect white teeth. 

Why wasn’t Ruby surprised?

And why was her legs shaking?

“Uh... I’m Ruby.” 

She couldn’t feel her hands, but she found they had sprung up to shake Lucy’s hand. The girl accepted and shook them. Firm. Tough. Ruby felt flustered. 

“So, you’re Ruby? I’m assigned to work with you on the Woolmore case.” Lucy said, surprisingly relaxed for just stumbling upon her soulmate. 

“Oh. Uh...” She then smiled. “The Woolmore case. Sit down, I have a lot to brief you.”

Wandering back to the car, Ruby couldn’t feel her body. 

Her soulmate had been Kyle for years. 

Why had it changed?

Was it fate?

A person couldn't avoid fate, but they could control the way they responded to it. She knew that for sure. 

Soulmates were fate- so it wouldn’t be silly to believe in such a thing, right? Predetermined by supernatural or external things. No one could really decide why people got the words on their wrist. There wasn’t a need for it- they just nodded their head down and got on with it. Soulmates were unavoidable. Nothing can stop it. Nothing can change it. Everything goes as planned. 

Ruby sat in the car and stared into the bustling streets of New York. Loud. Laughter. Snorting. Talking. Tourists snapping photos. 

How dare they be so happy while she was having a crisis. 

Her fingers drummed harshly onto the wheel, trying to decipher the millions of thoughts and scenarios and memories bouncing around her skull but still refused to land on one particular thing. 

When she moved to America when she was 18, she got a job at a police station as soon as possible. Despite all the stigma around police, she enjoyed her job with being a detective. Made her feel smart- smarter than others around her, anyway. And helping people, seeing the grateful smiles and respect the majority gave her. 

Ideas on her job brought her attention to another pressing issue: The Woolmore Case. One of the many largest crime families in the State. Many people were working on it- including her soulmate now apparently- however Ruby felt as if she was closer than anyone else. Something told her... she was connected to it. Somehow. 

Ugh, her mind was so messed up right now. She let her forehead touch her steering wheel, which beeped in response and she jumped out of her skin, squeaking. 

Great. Now she was jumpy, flustered and confused, all wrapped up in a lovely package and ready to send to the stupid Romeo and Juliet trope that was going on. 

So, maybe fate was to do with it. It wasn’t too far fetched. 

As her brain dived deeper, the window being knocked on made her squeak again, hands coming up defensively. 

It was Kyle. 

He was smiling. 

He looked so happy. 

He got into the car, “Hey!” He smiled, kissing her forehead. 

Ruby smiled shakily in return. “Hey, uh, Kyle.”

Then his smile turned to a frown, pulling his thick eyebrows, knitting together to enhance the stress lines he was already getting. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, blue eyes warm. 

“Nothin’... Just had one of those days.” Ruby trailed her finger over her leg nervously, started the car up, and they began to drive. 

“So... Kyle.” She started. Swallowing down the spit, she continued, “how did we meet, again?”

The man laughed a little, pupils far away in nice and warm memories, of meeting his soulmate. “Well, we were at a disco...”

It was late, Ruby was pissed. She was partying with Krasi, when he had left for the bathroom and she was left red-faced at the bar. It was their celebration of moving to New York with one and other- being friends since they were twelve. Once he had left, Ruby was sipping a weak alcoholic drink to slow down how many shots she had been doing. 

Her guard was down, she wasn’t paranoid. Tipsy and giggly. She pushed her chocolate hair from her face, blowing it from her lips, and continued to sip her drink. Already, the young woman could feel the tiredness beneath her eyes, the fogginess of her brain, the tingling of her fingertips. 

A man slid beside her, though he didn’t seem interested in her. She looked over him. He was pretty. Styled but wavy dark brown hair, pale, a Roman nose and thick but plucked brows. Looking over him, she knew this wasn’t his scene. Could tell by his raised shoulders, the fidgety look in his eyes, his constantly shuffling feet, the way he was glancing around for aid from a friend that most likely dragged him there. By the way he was swaying, drunk, maybe a bit more than he let on, cheeks a little pink. 

He ordered a coke. 

Ruby smiled. 

“Dude, loosen up a bit, it’s a party.”

He spat out his drink, some coming out his nose, and he turned to stare at her with dinner plates as eyes. 

“What?”

He pulled back his navy hoodie...

‘Dude, loosen up a bit, it’s a party’

Ruby was confused...

He didn’t say ‘fuck you’. 

But she grinned crookedly. 

“Oh. Okay.” 

After that, Ruby couldn’t recall what Kyle said to her. She looked at her wrist, surprised that Kyle of all people would say ‘fuck you’ to her, though she had never questioned it before this. 

He hummed while telling the story, “why? Why did you want to know, again?”

Ruby knew she should tell him, but she was driving, and tears would blurry her vision like mist in a damp street. 

So, as usual, she smiled, shrugged it off. 

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Ruby lied in bed, listening to the shower thrum from their bathroom, and she texted back and forth with Krasi, who urged her to tell Kyle about Lucy, while she said she couldn’t. 

Putting her phone down, she sighed, and let out a groan. 

Why couldn’t life just be so simple?

Her phone pinged a few times, all from Krasi. She replied. 

It had to be done. 

She knew it did. 

When Kyle came out, he was wearing Deadpool shirt and baggy joggers. He got in beside Ruby, pulling her to his chest. 

“Hey... Ruby, I know something’s wrong. You’ve been acting strange since work. Did... something happen? You don’t have to tell me, I just love you, and I don’t want you to be upset.” He said, and Ruby buried her face into him. I just love you... it made everything so much worse. Dread filled her. How could she do this to him...?

It was time. 

“What was the first thing you said to me?” She asked. 

He tilted his head, confused, brows knitting. “Wh—“

“What was the first thing you ever fucking said to me?” She said louder, sitting up. They both made heavy eye contact. 

“Yo— you know I can’t remember. We were both really drunk.”

“Because— because I— I don’t think you said ‘fuck you’.” Ruby grimaced saying it, but she knew this had to happen. One way or another, this had to be brought up. One way or another, this had to end. 

She felt as though her trust was betrayed- which was stupid. They were both to blame. 

Kyle rolled up his sleeve, “but— you said it! To me! You said that— Ruby, has someone said something to you? Is the case working you too hard—?”

Ruby shook her head, standing, not threatening with being so short compared to the man. 

“No! It isn’t about the case! It’s just... there was a person at work—“

“So someone did say something to you.” He said, frown pulling his lips down. 

“No— well, yes. She— Lucy, my coworker— came up to me... Said ‘Fuck you’.“ She pulled her sleeve up and tapped the words. “I said ‘yeah, fuck me’. She showed her sign. It— it said it.”

She waited for him to process, and he stared at his wrist, intense and calculating eyes- cold and upset and confused and hurt and betrayed. So many things flashed over his expression, so many ideas and so many denials and acceptance and more agony. 

“But... you said... you said...” he tapped his wrist, holding it to her face. 

“But did you say ‘fuck you’?”

Kyle’s expression became more pained. “I— I don’t know.”

Ruby’s muscles contorted and she felt heat in her face, her eyes watered. “But— she’s my soulmate.”

“No; no. No...” Kyle shook his head and stood, so much taller than Ruby, and he touched her face softly, but she pulled away. “Ruby— no, no. We- we’re soulmates! You said it to me! It doesn’t make any sense. I love you!”

“I love you too! And you know that! But— but soulmates, Kyle...” She whispered, putting her forehead to him, a few tears slipping. “And she’s mine.”

“But... you’re my soulmate. It... doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know. And I’m sorry.”

“Can I have... some time alone?” 

“I... Okay, Kyle.” A small pause. “I’m gonna sleep round Krasi’s... please just message me when you feel like it.” She said with a small smile, and he turned back, sitting on the bed, long legs pulling up to his torso, resting his chin against his knees. 

Ruby watched him, and he only said, “okay...” In a broken voice. 

A soft cry left her. 

And then, she walked out with her bag. 

Back at work, she walked into Charlie’s office with tea, and he sat opposite the Captain, who raised a brow. 

“Detective Wilkins—“

“You can call me Ruby, Charlie... Please... we’ve known each other too long...” She trailed off, offering out the hot drink like a peace offering. 

He smiled unsurely, taking it. “You alright?”

“No. What made that obvious: the red eyes or the fact I’m more fucking exhausted than when I was a kid.”

The man took in a small breath, brows a little furrowed with concern, “what’s wrong? You know I’m working, Ruby. As much as you’re my friend, you know I have to stay professional.”

“I know. I know... but I don’t think I can work with Lucy.”

At that, he raised a curious brow, before making his face normal, not wanting to come across as judgemental. Because he was never judgemental. It was also clear that at that moment, Ruby could get upset if she thought he would judge her. 

“Why’s this?”

“Because she’s my soulmate.”

That broke his calmed expression. 

“What about Kyle?”

“Yeah. I know. But our marks... she said it, Charlie... I just... I just don’t know what to do.” Ruby said, voice tiny, and Charlie took the tea and sipped it, deep in thought to find a resolution to her problem. 

None came to his mind. 

“This is coming from your friend, Ruby.” He started, catching her attention. “You can’t let your personal life effect your working life. I’m sorry to tell you that. Detective Forrest- that’s Lucy, by the way- informed me she was thrilled to get to know you. I guess I know why now... But I can’t just replace her. She has been working on the Woolmore case for about a year and I believe you two will work well together to bring down the crime family.”

“But—“

“I know. I know.” Charlie said. 

At that, Ruby shrank into herself, trying to make herself as small as she could. She felt so childish.

“I just... me and Kyle had a fight. Well... I just... I’m confused. And hurt.”

Charlie touched her shoulder. Sympathetically, he smiled. He didn’t have to say anything to communicate. 

“Alright... I have to get back to work. Thanks for talkin’ sense into me.” She said, standing. 

She was about to leave, before she hummed. “Miss you already.”

And Charlie’s smile was bigger. 

“Miss you I shall, Chewbecca.”

Ruby laughed, shook her head, and left. 

She sat at her desk, Krasi holding her close, before being reminded they were in a professional place so he pulled back with a frown. 

He was talking, but Ruby’s eyes flicked to another person. 

Detective Forrest. 

Lucy. 

Her soulmate. 

Her button nose wrinkled together. 

A sneer pulled at her face. 

She got up from her seat and walked towards Lucy. 

Lucy, on the other hand, only smiled. “Hey, Sorry for being late. I brought you a hot cho—“

“No. No. I don’t— just...” the shorter tried to pull herself together, her palms sweating. She pushed away the drink and Lucy looked unimpressed. “Because of you, I have to call of my engagement.” She snapped. 

The girl’s eyebrows skyrocketed and she began to sip the drink she had originally made for Ruby. “I didn’t make you do anything, that is your decision.” 

Ruby’s blood boiled at the sight of her being so causal.

How was she so calm!?

Krasi pushed his spinny-chair between them, “ladies, ladies. Shut the fuck up and make up with each other. Ruby, I love you with all my heart, but this shit isn’t her fault. Lucy... stop being such a wannabe dominant prick.”

Lucy stared at him. Sipped the drink. Shook her head. “No.”

Ruby stuttered, gesturing at her wildly, as if saying ‘can you believe her?’ with crazed eyes, and Lucy sighed. “Look, Ruby. I want to work this case with you. Don’t make it difficult.”

“How are you so calm? Aren’t you freaking out? We’re goddamn soulmates!” Ruby exclaimed. A few people looked over- confused. Murmurs. What about Kyle?

Lucy shrugged, “we have a job to do.” But Ruby’s face was burning from embarrassment, first Charlie bringing it to her attention she was being childish and now Lucy? She turned away and bit the inside of her lip. “Fine... lets go over it.”

While Ruby explained, she couldn’t help but keep looking at her wrist, covered by black leather. She wanted to see it again. See if it was real. It felt... mythical. Untrue. Since she had moved away from Britain with Krasi, her life was stable, good, had a partner, a apartment in New York fucking City. And everything was crashing down with her. 

She pointed at a photo- the father of the crime family. “This guy— he’s like super bad. According to a few guys I’ve managed to interrogate, he tortures people with no hesitance if they betray him.”

Ruby looked to Lucy, she was deep in thought, tapping her chin as her eyes were far away. “What about the mother?”

“Oh, well... apparently she’s even worse, somehow. But I don’t have much evidence to back that claim up. Point is, she’s bad, he’s bad, they’re all bad, and we gotta take ‘em down A.S.A.P.” Ruby said, putting hands on her hips, and Lucy smirked. 

“All of them? Come on, generalisation is a shitty thing to do.”

“Well, everyone seems to be a dick there.”

Lucy’s eyes caught sight of a little girl in the photos, and her expression was limited, and she pointed to it. 

“Who’s that?”

“Jane Doe.” Ruby replied simply, not caring for the photo. 

Lucy tilted her head, curious, “why Jane?”

“Oh, because if you’re unknown in hospital they call you ‘Jane Doe’. So that’s what we’ve called her. We don’t know her, she went off the charts when she was a kid.”

Lucy tapped her chin again, like a wise man, “interesting.” 

The other girl snorted quietly and flipped the flip board to show more, but Lucy put her hand up. “What you laughin’ at? Bitch.”

Ruby could tell by tone it was playful banter, so she turned, winking flirtatiously. “You.”

Lucy challenged Ruby’s grin with her own, “you won’t be laughin’ later.”

“Oh, and why’s that?”

“Well, because—“

And right as Lucy was about to say why, Charlie came out and looked mildly unsettled by their exchange, causing Ruby to turn away, embarrassed again. He politely reminded them they needed to work, not... that, and they both nodded in understanding, and he went to talk to Krasi. 

Lucy only smiled. 

Cute. 

It was Lucy’s time to show her evidence and theories to Ruby, so the other sat as she picked up her files and put them on her desk. She leaned over Ruby’s shoulder, and she noted Ruby smelt like strawberries and coconut shampoo... She shook her head. “So, we have Jack. Jack is a loose lead to the family- a drug addict. He sells drugs, he does drugs.” 

Lucy pointed to scrawny boy, and Ruby nodded, knowing this much. 

“We picked up where he meets his dealers- since, I guess, his family doesn’t want to supply him free drugs- so I think we can interrogate him into giving us information.” Ruby nodded along again, and then tapped her leg. “Good work... that’s a lead.”

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, “Yeah. I know.” 

Ruby smiled, looking at her feet.

Maybe she wasn’t so bad...

They sat in a car, Ruby eating a quarter pounder from McDonald’s, while Lucy kept sharp, eyes squinting as she searched the streets for the scumbag. 

Then, Detective Forest looked at her, nose scrunching in disgust for a moment. “Jesus, Ruby, slow down. What are you, a wolf?” 

“I’m a furry.” She said, deadpan, and Lucy stared at her back with a solid expression. 

Ruby then giggled, “I’m kiddin’... but I’m living at Krasi’s—“

“Detective Timov?”

“Yeah—uh, I’m living at his right now, and his shift started earlier and I felt bad... couldn’t eat his stuff, so...” Ruby then realised how stupid that sounded and sank into her seat a little. Lucy chuckled, her pearly white teeth on display, “Well, if you ever need a meal, I can always provide.”

They sat in comfortable silence, the only music was calm Beatles tunes. As Ruby grew bored, Lucy became tiresome, tapping her finger on the steering wheel. 

“Fuck... he should be here by now.” She said, checking her watch, and those same, pretty teeth came out and chewed her lip. 

“It’s fine. If he isn’t here, he should be tom—“ she was cut off by Lucy’s sigh, “He should be here.” She said in frustration, and Ruby offered her a few fries, which Lucy gratefully took and stuffed in her face. 

“What are you, a wolf?” Ruby teased, and Lucy only flipped her off, and without any warning, she snapped up, slightly choking on her food. “He’s there!” She yelled, and the smaller one sat up too, “Oh, shit. Alright... okay... gun, check... face cleaned... check. Alright, I’m ready to go.”

Lucy’s eyes held something that Ruby couldn’t understand. 

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

When Ruby stepped a little too close to Jack, the lanky man booked it, sprinting so quickly Ruby could barely catch up. Lucy took the lead, having much more experience with physical work and longer legs. Her preciseness of where she was running was scary, like she knew exactly where he was going to go. Ruby trailed behind, going as fast as she could. 

He threw bins, bags and anything he could really get a hold of, but Lucy grabbed him and pulled him to the ground. 

Ruby appeared a few seconds later, panting heavily, and Lucy pulled back. 

“Hello, Jack. We have a few questions.”

When they had him in the interrogation room, Ruby was surprised with how... well, normal he was. He seemed like the usual stoner, smiling, calm, eyes half closed as he casually talked to Lucy, who pushed her hair from her face. Ruby began to think about how her curly hair would feel beneath her finger tips when Lucy crashed her fist against the table awoke her the thoughts. 

“That’s it, Jack.”

“Uh-huh, yeah, okay. Look, I know y’all want answers about my... family.” He stared at Lucy judgementally and all she did was ball her fist a little more. “But what am I supposed to say? I’m literally a loose end. They don’t give a fuck about me. I’m a pot-head!” He laughed, and Ruby rubbed her forehead, sitting forward casually. 

Ruby didn’t like how alike the looked. Not in a sibling way, but they had a similar hair cut, but Jack’s was really, really messy, his face was a little longer. He looked worse. 

“I understand, Mr. Woolmore that you—“

“Nah, you don’t understand, and honestly, it’s boring. I won’t talk until I have a Lawyer.” He said it like a joke, though his eyes did not leaving Lucy, as if he was threatened by her presence. 

Ruby took a deep breath in. “Jack, we want some locations.” She stated simply, and Jack stroked his chin, smiled, and said, “no.”

Ruby leant back and huffed, but Lucy patted her thigh to let her know she was going to try something. 

“Why, Jack? They don’t give a single fuck about you. They fuckin’ kicked you out. They just said that you’re a crackhead and that’s it. Didn’t even give you a chance.” She tutted, and Jack’s soft eyes seemed to harden. “Don’t even give you a drug supply, threw you out like a piece of utter shit. Why do you wanna protect them? They don’t care.”

She put her hand on his skinny arm as his face processed. “Ruby and I? We can help. Get revenge on the fuckers.” 

There was a long silence, and all Ruby would do was stare at Lucy in awe. She knew the hand was still on her thigh and she didn’t move it- she was surprised by the way Lucy would manipulate so easily, but she didn’t question. 

“Fine. Jesus fucking Christ, fine...”

Reporting back to Charlie with actual, factual evidence was a very satisfying feeling for her. They reported it together, and Ruby wouldn’t stop smiling. Even with his calm face, she could tell he was somewhat proud- proud they were becoming closer. They managed to squeeze three locations from Jack, and Charlie had made sure he got some people ready for a stakeout. 

Lucy and Ruby on one. Alone. Together. Sharing the same room. 

One day after the interrogation, they sat in the stake out together. Lucy was taking her time to watch as Ruby messaged Krasi back on forth. It was his day off and they had planned to make cookies and watch horror movies; but of course, work came in and Ruby wouldn’t say no to an actual lead. Luckily, Krasi was as understanding as ever and said he would just watch some shows and do some exercises. 

Ruby peaked from her phone and stared at Lucy’s body. Not sexually or anything, just taking her all in. The Hawaiian shirt under the leather jacket, the skinny jeans and sports shoes. She looked good. Not only were her clothes nice, but her face was physically fit, nice jaw line that would cut. All Ruby wanted to do was stroke the curls that came down. She seemed to need a haircut judging by how the shaved sides were growing. 

The police officer then turned with a raised brow, “what’re you looking at?” Lucy asked, and Ruby looked at the window. “Making sure no ones sniping you.” She snorted, and Lucy rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah, right.”

An hour passed, it was long, and Ruby sat beside Lucy at their stakeout. They waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. 

Then Ruby got bored and sat back, and Lucy kept her eyes focused on the building without even thinking about it. Her eyes were locked, and she couldn’t look away. She needed this case. Then she saw a man with clichéd clothes walk out, and she took photos. 

Ruby had fell asleep on the bed, hair around her face, and Lucy looked back at her to alert her of action going down. But she hesitated, seeing the clearly exhausted girl finally get some sleep. She gritted her teeth together and huffed a sigh. Pull yourself together...

Lucy stood and shook Ruby’s shoulder, who jolted and fumbled around defensively- as if she was expecting something else. “Wha— Oh, Hey...” her voice was a whisper, eyes half closed. 

“Hey.” Lucy replied with a small smile, and turned her face to hide a subtle blush. “There’s the shady guys doing shady shit down there. I thought I would notify you.” She explained simply and the other sat forward and yawned. 

They sat by the window, taking photos of each man, and Lucy was in deep thought. “I have to make a call.” She said with no warning, and Ruby nodded and waved her off, eyes never leaving the men who looked around before entering the building. She kept her tired eyes on the scene until Lucy came back. She looked a little stressed, and plopped herself beside Ruby, who in turn leaned her head on her shoulder. 

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Strutting into Charlie’s office, she did a small dance with a huge grin. “Hey, Charlie-Charlie.” She said happily and sat down opposite him, handing him his daily drink. He took it, not taking his eyes from his computer until he clicked a few keys. He then looked to Ruby. “You look happy.” He noted with a smile. Her being happy made him happy. 

“Yep, I am happy!” The detective pointed to her grin and played with a file in her hands. “I think I might be getting somewhere- finally- with this case. Thanks to Lucy, of course.” Her face grew a tiny bit red at the mention of her name. Despite his curiosity, Charlie kept any comment to himself. 

“Well, that’s great. I’m happy you’re happy.” He voiced. He wanted to ask about Kyle, but he also kept that to himself. He didn’t want to ruin her good mood. He had to make sure Ruby was okay, since sometimes her eyes were hauntingly distant and she just looked so sad. The captain knew he might have to ask her for a pint and make sure she was okay, however he was so busy, always. 

“Thanks! I’ll let you know any stuff we’re gonna do... Anyway, enjoy your tea!” She smiled and tapped the desk, leaving after doing so. 

He waved her away and continued with work. 

Writing up paperwork, Lucy beside her, she randomly propped up to Ruby, who was focussed solely on her work. 

“Hey, um... Ruby?”

“What is it, detective?”

“So, what happened with you and Kyle?” Lucy’s gaze was fixed on her own wrist, like she wanted to pull the jacket back to stare at the words. 

The grin fell and Ruby shuffled. The hesitation took a toll on her, but she managed to open her lips to speak. “Well... uh... we were engaged. We’ve known each other for years. And I thought we were soulmates, but apparently...” Ruby pulled her shirt back, and then her bracelet, showing the haunted writing. Lucy peeped at it. “Apparently we’re not. I have to talk to him. I left- he wanted some time alone... I hope he’s okay. He’s my best friend. I love him, I really do.”

Lucy’s eyes casted to the floor again and she then hid her expression with guarded eyes, “Okay, let’s get on with this case.” She sounded like she wanted to say more... but those lips stayed sealed, and Ruby’s curiosity only grew. 

Ruby stood outside of her old home, gazing over every detail of the door, trying to convince her legs to go, but she knew she had to talk to him. Gently, she knocked on the door, heart pounding, drumming, thumping, so loud that she could feel it. 

After a long ten seconds, Ruby used her key and opened it. If he wasn’t in, she could just pick up her remaining stuff anyway. She walked inside and looked around, pictures of them together, in love and happy displayed like misplaced trophies. A sense of cold dread washed over her like a tsunami, and she already regretted stepping into the hell hole of memories. 

“Kyle?” She called out, keeping her tone gentle, not wanting to disturb him if he was there. 

She poked her head around the wall, and saw the top of his dark hair, his body facing away from her, ear buds in. Ah, that must have been why he hadn’t heard her. She walked in front of him, and she could already smell the heavy air of wine.

She wanted to throw up. 

It reminded her of her mother, who relied on alcohol, the buzz, the liquor that would burn the throat but kill the feelings. The times where she was too aggressive and threw things at her. The times Ruby’s own monsters lashed out and became like a demon too, arguing with someone who had no intention of listening, shouting curses at something who’s only response was to scream. 

Alcohol. 

She inhaled through her nose and blinked, and Kyle pulled out his ear phones. 

“Hey.” He said. His voice was broken, like a record player snapping. 

“Hey.” Ruby replied. 

They stared at each other, and Kyle looked away, avoiding her eyes that were full of sympathy and compassion. 

“We should talk.”

He moved over a little and put the wine to the table, hand shaking. Ruby noticed, though she couldn’t form any words to apologise for the agony she had caused him. 

“What’d you wanna talk about?” His words were slurred. 

Light weight. 

“Are you okay?” Ruby asked and reached her hand to his shoulder, and he sank down into the sofa at the contact. 

“No.” 

Her heart clenched and her gaze directed itself to the cool day outside, water dripping some the pane of glass. She watched it for a moment, like a child, and then turned to Kyle again. “I’m so sorry...”

His eyes were deep in thought and he leaned forward even more, head now at her knees. She stroked his hair. 

“No. It’s okay. I understand. She’s your soulmate... you did what you had to do.” He sighed. A long beat before his mouth opened again, “I’m sorry for getting angry. I just love you.”

This was easier than she had expected. She should know by now all she did was over think, over think, over think. Kyle was always so sweet, so selfless and loving he was able to let go of her even if it caused him misery. 

They sat in silence for a minute or two, and Ruby lifted Kyle up by his shoulders and kissed his cheek. 

“I love you. We just-... you know how soulmates work. We can still be friends, and if you’re comfortable I can still live here, maybe?” She asked and stroked his cheek with the pad of her thumb. His eyes fluttered closed, long lashes feathering over flustered cheeks, and he nodded. 

“Yeah. I’m lonely without you, Ruby.”

They sat in silence for a beat- a beat of silence that lasted too long for its own good. Ruby gnawed her lip and held back tears. 

“I’ll stay.”

The morning rolled round and Ruby’s alarm awoke her from her peaceful slumber. She groaned and rolled over, greeted by the familiar feeling of a warm, breathing chest. She hummed and looked up. Kyle was half awake, and his arm was around Ruby. She swung her legs over the table and pecked his forehead. 

“G’mornin’... I’ll make you some tea?” She asked, stroking his messy hair. 

“Please.” He smiled. 

Feeling like all of her problems were lifted, she walked into work, a new person with the presence of Kyle behind her. When people overlooked them, they presumed they were together again, but really? They weren’t. They couldn’t be. 

They split up as they usually did, and Ruby greeted to Charlie, then sat down beside Lucy, who raised her brow. “You back together with Kyle?” 

“Nah. We’re just okay again.”

Weeks went by and they steadily built up their case. Then finally, Ruby broke, and she walked over to Lucy, who was staring at the sheet of a criminal from the family, and she sat beside her. 

“Hey, detective Forrest.” She said and stuffed her face with her meal. Lucy nodded. 

“So... you free this weekend?”

Lucy nodded again. 

“Do you want to go to... uh, the coast with me?”

Lucy seemed to go for a nod again, but tensed when she realised what she said and turned her attention from the photo and onto her. 

“Like just us?”

It was Ruby’s turn to nod. 

“Alone?”

Another nod. 

“For the weekend?”

“Yeah.” Ruby said with a nod and a faint smile. Lucy looked shy for just a moment, and a brow came up as she thought. 

“Yeah. Yeah... that sounds nice.”

They got into Lucy’s car, Ruby driving, and the ride there was so... nice. They listened to Lucy’s music, and it felt like a peak into her life, into her secrets... 

Ruby didn’t expect Taylor Swift, and the way Lucy tried not to sing along to the upbeat tunes was comedic to watch. This was domestic. It was lovely.

After a long car journey, they pulled up to their hotel by the beach, and Ruby guided them in with a big smile. 

“Come on, hurry up!” She said, and the person behind the counter smiled at them and gave them their room key. 

Unpacking was okay, just Ruby talking of memories of her family visiting the coast back in England. Her and her sister would mess around and collect shells, her mum sit and get a tan, staring at the bright sky. Lucy was entertained by the idea of young Ruby skipping around, collecting precious objects from the sand. It made her think of her own childhood...

Lucy’s entertainment stopped at the idea. 

She tuned back in with Ruby’s ramble, and she finished unpacking her clothes and put her hands on her hips, “Okay, Ruby, what’re we up to, today?”

“What aren’t we?” Ruby teased, and then put on a sunhat, “I’m planning on beach today, and then arcade and peer tomorrow!” She said excitedly, and Lucy could just positively die. 

Lucy nodded, “I’ll get my shit on.” She paused, and looked over Ruby, who smiled back expectingly. 

“And Ruby?” 

“Yeah.”

“You look cute.”

Lucy disappeared into the bathroom, leaving a very red Ruby smiling stupidly. Stripping off her own clothes, she put over a light shirt over her bikini, and waited patiently for Lucy. Once she did come out, Ruby couldn’t feel her legs. 

Lucy was covered in tattoos. And wow, Ruby was not wrong when she said she was muscled. The tattoos were sleeves, and Ruby wondered if they had any meaning behind them. Her eyes traveled down her toned body, and Lucy caught her looking and smirked. 

“Like what you see?” 

Ruby looked to the window to hide her reddened face. 

“Shut up and let’s go.”

Lucy had put a white, tight vest on so when they left, they looked like they belonged with the crowd. Luckily, the beach wasn’t overflowed with people, so they found a quiet spot beside the sea. Ruby laid their towels out and sat, looking as Lucy slid on her sunglasses and stared off over the horizon, like some sort of curious sailor. Ruby had never seen someone so angelic. 

A few hours pass of them just messing around, Ruby reading and Lucy taught her how to skip pebbles, though it didn’t work too bad since the waves were still crashing against the wet sand. 

They got into the ocean and Ruby squealed, “it’s so cold!” She chuckled, shaking dramatically. Causing Lucy to laugh, Ruby felt pride bloom in her chest. 

“Yeah, well...” Lucy looked malicious and got in deeper, throwing cool water over Ruby, who squealed again and her eyes went wide, “Lucy!” She whined, splashing her back. 

Of course, this led to a friendly game of ‘get the other wet’ (Ruby knew how bad that sounded), and it ended with Ruby victorious, having dunked Lucy into the water. It left her spluttering, though she laughed, warm hearted. 

Ruby felt it again. The heart jump. Her face heat. 

Ruby may have won the battle, but Lucy had won Ruby. 

They had a hotdog and wondered down the street, and as it got later, the concrete cooled so they didn’t have to wear their sandals. Something felt so domestic about walking through the darkening streets, the town calming and Ruby was happily talking for both of them. Lucy didn’t mind, she liked to listen. They got into the hotel, spirits soaring above all, and Ruby hopped onto bed and buried her face in the sheets. 

“Today’s been the best day in forever...” she said, though it was muffled by the pillow. 

“Yeah. Thanks for taking me out. I think I need this break.”

Ruby turned around and looked at Lucy curiously, “you good?”

Lucy nodded, “Yeah, just a little stressed. You know, work?” She smiled and rolled her eyes, “it’s stupid.”

Ruby sat forward a little and patted the space beside her, and Lucy placed herself gratefully on the bed. 

“Talk to me?” Ruby asked, and Lucy licked her bottom lip from nerves. “I don’t know— the Woolmore case is just... stressful. They’re fucking awful people and even as were out here just relaxing, they’re out there, doing shit I can’t even imagine.”

Ruby nodded. Yeah, she thought about that as well. 

“It’s our two days off. Try not to think about it, Luc.” She said, her hand coming to Lucy’s curls naturally. Lucy seemed to appreciate the fingers and smiled, “Jesus, you’re so cute.”

Ruby went a little red, “you too.”

They talked for a while and had their respective showers, and finally went to sleep, facing away from each other. Unknowingly to both of them, they had heated faces because holy shit... they were beside the most beautiful girl in the world. 

The morning rolled around and Ruby was awoken by the shower thrumming. She sat forward, yawning loudly, and she was engulfed by the hot summer’s day, the beam hitting directly into her eyes and making her wince. Who the fuck opened the blinds this early?

Even so, Ruby got up slowly and made herself a hot chocolate using the stuff the hotel supplied, and Lucy came out eventually, wearing her usual attire and her hair was a wet mess over her eyes. 

“Hey.” She said simply, toothbrush hanging from her lips. 

“Heya.” Ruby replied, voice low and barely a whisper from sleep, though the drink was definitely waking her up quicker than usual. 

“So, the peer today, right?” 

“Uh-huh. We can go out for breakfast. Maybe something healthy, since we’re probably gonna end up eating shit at the arcade anyway.”

The taller girl nodded and disappeared back into the room to finish up. 

The day went quickly, and it didn’t even seem like five minutes before they were at the peer, the arcade. There were excited kids running around, soulmates holding hands, people having fun, families having days out. It was so pleasant and nice, Ruby feared it would end too soon. 

Even with the dread that came with it, she was fixated on having a good time, playing multiple shooting games which she lost, and Lucy cackled as Ruby flared up and accused the machine of being a scam. 

Lucy smirked as they walked through the place, “I have this talent.” She said, leading them to a claw machine which had cute, stuffed animals in it. “I can get any of these, flawlessly.”

“Oh, fuck off.” Ruby replied in disbelief, and her eyes went to a cute teddy of a dog. 

“Here, I’ll show ya.” 

Lucy wasn’t lying- and in one go she won the exact pup she had been staring at. Ruby jumped up and down, “holy shit! That’s so cool!” She said and hugged Lucy like there was no tomorrow. Slowly, Lucy hugged her back, and chuckled into her neck. “I know, I know, I’m just flawless, aren’t I?” 

They spent an absurd amount of money that would usually make Ruby sick, but she was really enjoying her time, feeling like she was in some sort of happy montage in a cheesy movie. They sat outside on the peer, staring at the view of the ocean which glittered with the moonlight, and stars. There were no stars in New York City, so being able to see them made Ruby even more giddy. They ate fries and burgers. 

Out here, it was so calm. Compared to the arcade, which was obnoxiously clattered and loud, this place was so quiet. Ruby closed her eyes and appreciated the cool breeze licking at her skin. 

She felt eyes on her. 

She opened her eyes again, and she caught Lucy looking at her, and at being caught, she turned away. Ruby’s lips tugged into a smile and she murmured, “this was so nice...”

“Yeah.” Lucy agreed dreamily. 

“Thank you for coming out with me, here.”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

Pleasant silence fell over them again and Ruby studied the ocean that lapped the sand and the faint figures of people hovering around the entrance of the arcade. The smell of hot dogs and freshly made donuts, the muffled laughs and chatter from excited people, the stars that winked at them from the abyss of night. Lucy. Her hair ruffled with wind, her eyes bright with the glow of the moon, her leather jacket relaxed on her body, though it showed off her muscles quite nicely. Her smile, small, subtle, and her expression distant, thinking. 

She was so beautiful. 

“I thought I had Kyle and that was it.” Ruby said, and Lucy turned again to face her. “He is lovely. One of the best people I’ve ever met. But... with you, I feel adventurous. Gosh, I sound so dumb.”

Lucy smiled a little, “Yeah, you are pretty dumb.” She teased, poking her tongue out.

“Hey! You’re dumb as well!”

“Yeah, I guess we’re dumb together, huh?” They laughed, and when Ruby had calmed, Lucy’s fingers grazed her cheek. Her hands were freezing, especially compared to the flushed cheeks of Ruby. 

“Yeah?” Ruby breathed, not able to contain how airy she felt, inside and out. 

Lucy didn’t reply, only setting aside the fries, and without breaking eye contact, leaned in. 

Their lips met. 

Ruby kissed back. 

After they had kissed for a few moments, Ruby pulled away, giggling and stifling it with her hand. 

“You’re so smooth, Lucy.” She joked, and Lucy snorted, “I know.”

That night, they didn’t sleep far from each other, Lucy’s head was on Ruby’s chest, listening to the coaxing sound of her heart beat. 

Thump thump. 

Thump thump. 

Thump thump. 

Thump thump. 

Then, as it slowed, Lucy let her breaths slow too, feeling as Ruby loosened, became limp, finally asleep. 

Going back to work was strange. Mostly because people had assumed the weekend was for... other things. And because the weekend has ended so well, Ruby wasn’t sure of how to think of it. 

She had never been in a relationship with a girl before. Never in her life had she considered her sexuality, not really. But as she lay awake at night, she began to realise that she had girl crushes before. Pretty girls, short girls, tall girls, best friends. She hadn’t even saw it then, just brushing off her red face or her sneaky glances as what friends would do. After all, friendships with girls were very close, anyway. 

Lucy wasn’t the first girl she had liked. 

But she was the first girl she had dated. 

Charlie seemed pleased when Ruby entered with a dumb grin on her face, and when Ruby exploded with the news that she was dating Forrest, Charlie congratulated them while taking his cup of tea. Ruby left with a skip in her step, buzzing with energy. 

It all fell short when the shallow news came to her. 

The Woolmore family had stricken again while they were on their break. 

A gun fight had broken out among drug lords and the family. 

Three were put in critical condition. One dead. 

All the while, Ruby was smooching at Lucy, aware that time was ticking. 

Shit, she was so fucking selfish. 

Even so, three were now hers to question. 

Full of guilt, she grilled them until they looked uncomfortable (which was a lot for these fuckers), and after a good few hours one broke. 

“Fucks sake, fine! Mother is going to attack them for backstabbing us. It’s at Fort Tilden, or whatever, tonight.”

Tonight. 

She immediately stormed out, and the guy yelled after her with concern (mostly for himself, not for her well being.) The car ride was silent, and she turned up at the department, where Lucy smiled at her and winked. 

“Hey, R—“

“Come with me, quickly.”

The sun was setting. Tonight. Though confused, Lucy nodded and did as she was told, slipping into the car, all the while Ruby started it. 

“What’s going on? Are you okay?”

Ruby glanced to her. “Got one of them to talk. They’re gonna kill people, Luc.”

Lucy’s eyes went dark and her jaw tightened, “What?”

“Yeah. We have to stop them.”

“What about backup?”

“It’ll just make it all worse. More guns won’t solve anything.”

“Ruby, you’re being impulsive.”

“Lucy, people are going to die.”

Lucy closed her mouth and gritted her teeth. She grumbled under her breath and pulled her phone out, anxiously texting someone. 

“Luc.” She said, and Lucy glanced to her; still typing. “What?”

“I’m sorry.”  
“It’s okay. I... I understand, Ruby.” 

Silence. 

Arriving to the scene to a harrowing silence surprised Ruby. She didn’t know what to expect, really, the place to be full of greasy looking mongrels, chewing one and other to pieces for the fun of it, but the nothingness was worse. So much worse. 

Even so, she tugged Lucy along, who got more and more anxious as they gained on an abandoned building, and Lucy halted them. “Ruby, come on.”

“What?”

“Let’s get professionals on this!” He tried, “we’re detectives- we’re not cut out for this!” Then Ruby sighed lengthily, “Luc, please...”

Beat. 

Pause. 

A moment. 

Lucy shattered, “fine.”

They crept around and Ruby found a window that wasn’t boarded up, and Ruby’s brow shot up when she saw the people were inside. Great! This was great! They could stop them, arrest them, and this was all great! Okay, okay, good, cool...

So how could Ruby barge in without getting shot?

There were so many... Ruby crouched down and pressed her back to the old bricks, and she quickly messaged Charlie the address, requesting help. 

A shooting, but if too many people came this could get very out of hand very quickly. 

“Okay, Luc, any ideas?”

She asked, turning to Lucy, however was greeted with nothing. 

“Lucy?”

Fuck. 

Ruby got up hurriedly, hand hovering over the gun in her felt, and peaked around the corner. A silhouette. 

“Lucy, stop messing around.” She hissed. 

Nothing. 

“Lucy?”

Nothing. 

“L...” 

The figure then turned, stepping into the moonlight that was shadowed by the building, and Ruby cocked a brow. 

It was Lucy. 

Lucy looked... malicious. 

Lucy looked strange. 

Lucy was approaching her. 

“Ruby.” She said, exhaling sharply through her nose, “I didn’t wanna do this. I really didn’t.”

“What?” Ruby said with a nervous chuckle. 

“How are you so stupid?” Lucy asked, and Ruby felt her heart jump to her throat and suddenly she couldn’t breathe very well. 

“Wh- what?” She asked, and then Lucy rolled her eyes and then her shoulders. 

“How could you not see it? You’re a detective, you fucking idiot, how could you not see it?”

“What?” The other replied, feeling a little more defensive now. Her tone was strangled, like she struggled to even get the word out. Why was Lucy being so rash? She was always so nice before. Well, aside from their first meeting. Their marks. Their words. Them: soulmates. 

“I’m a Woolmore.”

The night seemed to grow with the silence, the only sound the light howl of the wind or rustling leaves. The sand beneath their feet made it harder to even stand, and the stars were piercing to the eye against the blanket of night. 

Ruby laughed again, “Uh, okay, Forrest.”

Lucy huffed and took a step towards her, her hand hovering over her weapon. Snapping to attention, Ruby swallowed thickly. 

“Luc...”

“You still think I’m joking? How the fuck did they even hire someone like you? I put out all the facts in front of you, and you still can’t get over that your fuck buddy didn’t actually love you.”

Didn’t actually... 

“You’re a Woolmore?” Ruby said flatly. Distancing herself was the best thing to do in this situation. 

“Isn’t that just what I said?”

“You don’t actually love me?” Ruby asked, hands shaking by her sides. 

“No.” Lucy said and stepped forward, and Ruby stepped back. “You’re a obnoxious, narcissistic prick who only thinks about herself. How the fuck could I love someone like you?”

Dread. 

This couldn’t be true. 

Icy realisation had her fists clenching and she shuddered. 

“You lied to me?” 

Lucy was silent. 

“How could you? W— we were— we are soulmates!” The jacket and bracelet was pulled up to show her mark, and Lucy chuckled darkly. 

“Look, Ruby, let me do my big villain monologue before... well,” Lucy began to circle her, and Ruby felt so cornered on this lonely beach, on this lonely, cold night, on this dreadful trip her heart was going through. She was so, so alone. 

“So, my mother really wanted someone to get the pigs off her back.” She started, and Ruby stepped back again when Lucy approached her. “So, she picked her latest kid. Or as you said: Jane Doe.”

Another step back. 

“She trained me everyday. Trained me not to catch feelings. Trained me how you fuckers were shitty people. Trained me how to use a gun.”

Another step back. 

“She said to me, ‘Lucy, I want you to work with the police. I want you to kill them’.”

Another step. 

What?

No. No. No. 

What was happening, this couldn’t be real, could it?

“You see, you’ve killed plenty of us in the past. And you get no punishment because, what? You’re a cop? Why is it as soon as we snap back, we’re the bad guys? We keep shit in order. We keep a bunch of crime down. And yet, you can’t see it.”

Ruby tripped a little over a small hill of sand, falling to the floor in the process. 

“Therefore, I had to work from the inside. I had to work with you.” She spat, “I had to get you away from us. I set up everything. With Jack, the meeting places... They wouldn’t do shit for you. And yet...” She gestured around them, “here we are. You’re interfering. And you’ve left me no choice...”

A gun. 

Lucy brought her gun out. 

Ruby looked up at her, eyes going even wider. “You’re gonna kill me?” She sounded eerily calm. 

“Do you really need me to tell you that?” Lucy said, cocking the gun. 

Shit. Shit. Shit. 

Her gut felt like it was going to fall out, and her throat was small, her head was full and her eyes were wet. 

“I thought we had something.” Ruby said, a wrinkle in her nose. “Apparently not.” 

“No. Doesn’t seem so, does it?” The Woolmore then kicked some sad in Ruby’s direction and smiled, “I told them you were coming. They know we’re here. They’re waiting for the gunshot. I shouldn’t disappoint, should I?” 

Was this really it? 

Ruby hadn’t accomplished anything with her life. Never really fulfilled a life long dream. Never did anything worth noting for. She was just another dead cop they would put on the papers, and move on from within a month. 

“Lucy, please, I love you.”

Woolmore chuckled, “shame. I thought you were pretty. Let’s give your pretty face a makeover, yeah?”

Ruby clamped her eyes shut. 

This really was it. 

“Lucy, I—“

The bullet. 

Gunshot. 

It screamed across the plain. 

Then, silence. 

Silence. 

Silence. 

Silence. 

Only the sound of her body slumping onto the sand was it. 

Lucy stood over the corpse, staring as blood leaked onto the ground. 

Ruby was dead. 

Lucy dropped the gun to the floor and just... looked. 

Her face was blank. It was fucked up, now. She really wasn’t lying about the makeover. 

She put her head to her heart. 

No more thumping. 

Silence. Silence. Silence. Silence. 

Lucy then sat down, and she heard the faint clapping of her. 

Mother. 

“Well done, Lucy!” 

Lucy nodded. 

When they all left to go back inside, Lucy thumbed the gun... Picked it up. Lifted it... cocked it...

Then, nothing.


End file.
